Understanding Rib Flare in Postpartum: What’s Happening to Your Body and How to Heal
Ever wonder why your bras and tops feel tighter postpartum, even after shedding some baby weight? That’s because —it’s your ribs! During pregnancy, your rib cage expands to make room for your growing baby, and those changes don’t always snap back after birth. Enter rib flare, a sneaky culprit behind that snug feeling in your clothes. In this post, we'll uncover the hidden changes your ribs go through, why rib flare happens, how it affects you postpartum, and simple strategies to help you feel more comfortable again. Keep reading—you won’t want to miss this!
How and Why the Ribs Expand During Pregnancy
As your baby grows, your body must accommodate the increasing size of the uterus which impacts your rib alignment.
1. Growth of Baby
The rib cage naturally expands during pregnancy to accommodate your growing baby, as the expanding uterus pushes your abdominal organs upward and outward to make room. This change helps provide the necessary space for your baby’s growth while also creating extra room for your diaphragm to continue functioning effectively as your lungs need more oxygen. The result is a noticeable widening of the rib cage and a shift in posture that many women experience as rib flare, which can persist into the postpartum period until the body begins to readjust.
2. Postural Changes
During pregnancy, your center of gravity shifts as your baby grows, causing the spine to be pulled forward which extends or arches the low back. This change in posture pushes the rib cage upward and outward, flaring to the front. As a result, the back and chest muscles work harder to support the growing belly, leading to increased tension and contributing to rib expansion in postpartum.
3. Abdominal Lengthening and Weakness
The abdominal muscles stretch significantly during pregnancy to accommodate the growing baby. As these muscles lengthen, they can weaken and lose some of their ability to stabilize the torso and rib cage, contributing to the inability to pull the ribs down during exhale.
4. Respiratory Diaphragm Weakness and Shape Change
The diaphragm, the primary muscle involved in breathing, is pushed up during pregnancy due to the baby’s growth, flattening it. This change in shape can weaken the diaphragm, making it less effective in contracting to during inhale making your body rely on accessory breathing muscles in the chest and back. The result? Tension in the back and chest make it harder for the ribs to reverse out of a rib flare remaining expanded in the postpartum period.
How Rib Flare Makes You Feel in Postpartum
After giving birth, you may notice that your ribs don’t immediately return to their pre-pregnancy position. This lingering rib flare can cause several symptoms and frustrations, including:
Discomfort in the chest and back: The tension from expanded ribs can lead to tightness and discomfort in your upper back, chest, and shoulders.
Breathing changes: With the diaphragm weakened and the ribs in a flared position, deep, efficient breathing may feel more difficult.
Changes in how your clothes fit: Rib flare can cause your rib cage to feel wider, making tops or dresses feel tighter around the chest, even if you’ve lost some baby weight.
Postural imbalances: The flared ribs, combined with postpartum changes in the pelvis and abdominal muscles, can contribute to a slouched or hunched posture, affecting your overall alignment.
How Rib Flare Impacts Your Pelvic Floor in Postpartum
When the rib cage remains in an expanded and flared position, it affects the alignment of the entire core, including the abdominals, diaphragm and pelvic floor. These three structures work together like a pressure system, with the diaphragm at the top, abdominals in the front and the pelvic floor at the bottom. When the ribs are flared, it causes the diaphragm and pelvic floor to be out of sink, creating imbalances in pressure, stability and movement.
This mismatch puts added strain on the pelvic floor, making it harder for these muscles to engage and support the body effectively. In postpartum, when the pelvic floor is already weakened due to the stress of pregnancy and childbirth, rib flare can exacerbate issues such as pelvic floor dysfunction, incontinence, or discomfort. Without proper rib positioning, the deep core muscles have trouble coordinating with the pelvic floor, making recovery slower and less efficient.
To address this, it's essential to focus on exercises that promote rib mobility and alignment, such as breathing exercises that reconnect the diaphragm with the pelvic floor. By gradually bringing the ribs back into a more neutral position, the pressure on the pelvic floor can be reduced, allowing for better function and overall postpartum recovery.
Strategies to Improve Rib Flare Postpartum
Luckily, there are safe and effective strategies you can incorporate into your postpartum recovery to help bring your ribs back into alignment and improve how your body feels.
1. Diaphragmatic Breathing
Relearning how to breathe using your diaphragm is key to restoring your rib and abdominal function. Focus on deep, diaphragmatic breaths, inhaling deeply to allow your back and lower ribs to expand, then exhaling fully to engage your core and gently pull the ribs down. This type of breathing strengthens the diaphragm and helps guide the ribs back to their normal position over time.
2. Rib Mobility Work
Since your ribs have been held in an expanded position for several months during pregnancy, they can become stiff and less mobile, limiting your range of motion. To help restore flexibility and mobility, exercises that encourage rib movement in different directions are essential. Moves like cat/cow can help flex and extend the spine, gently guiding the ribs through a fuller range. Thread the needle, mermaid and book openers are great for adding rotation and sidebending, which helps release tension and mobilize the ribcage. These exercises promote improved posture, reduce discomfort, and ease breathing by gradually helping your ribs regain their natural movement patterns.
3. Chest and Back Stretches
Since rib flare is often accompanied by tension in the back and chest, gentle stretches like child’s pose, thoracic extension, chest openers like the doorway stretch, can help relieve tightness and improve posture. Focus on controlled movements that target the tight areas in your chest and back that allow you to release tension without creating compensations.
4. Gradual Postural Adjustments
Be mindful of your posture throughout the day, especially when lifting your baby or breastfeeding. Practice stacking your ribs over your pelvis by lifting the lower back ribs and dropping the front ribs while keeping your shoulders relaxed this can help reduce the strain on your ribs and encourage a more neutral rib position.
5. Strengthening the Core and Pelvic Floor
Focus on exercises that gradually strengthen your deep core and pelvic floor muscles by positioning your body in ways that encourage optimal muscle engagement. Strategic positions, such as lying on your back with knees bent or hands and knees, allow for better activation of these muscles without placing too much strain on your body. Pelvic tilts help engage the lower core and promote pelvic floor coordination. 90/90 breathing focuses on diaphragmatic control and deep core activation while keeping the ribs aligned. Arm slides strengthen your core through gentle movements that work the stabilizing muscles. Bird dog integrates core stability with movement, enhancing coordination and strength across the whole body while protecting the spine. These exercises create a foundation for core strength that can help support overall posture and recovery in postpartum.
6. Core-Integrated Movements
Incorporating core coordination into everyday movements, such as lifting or standing, helps restore the natural connection between your ribs, diaphragm, and abdominal muscles. Focus on exhaling as you exert effort and engage your core to stabilize your rib position.
I have put together a beginner routine to fix postpartum rib flare, watch it here.
Patience and Progress
Postpartum rib flare is a common but often overlooked issue during recovery. By understanding how and why it happens, and by implementing these safe strategies, you can begin to improve the way your body feels and functions. Remember, it takes time for your body to fully recover after pregnancy, so be patient and listen to your body as you work on restoring your rib alignment and core strength.
